Since we're on a murder mystery kick, having delved into two Agatha Christie movies yesterday, let's fast forward out of the long-ago-faraway colonial British Empire of ChristieWorld.......and into more contemporary, up to date mayhem......
The Last Of Sheila (1973) came from, of all people, the collaborative pens of actor Anthony Perkins and legendary Broadway composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim.
The duo, well known for their love of intricate puzzles and celebrity 'puzzle parties', concocted a fictional version of such a get together...... a collection of bitchy, witchy movie-biz types converging on the yacht of a saturnine producer (James Coburn) whose late wife died bouncing off the the car of a hit-and-run driver.
Coburn's guests are a viciously clever send up of very real Hollywood types and they're deftly played by Richard Benjamin, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Dyan Cannon, Raquel Welch and Ian McShane.
One of them, obviously, is the hit-and-run murderer of Coburn's wife, which he gleefully intends to reveal by having his guests scavenger hunt for clues based on their own hidden nasty secrets....(prison time, pedophilia, homosexuality, etc, etc,......)
We dare not say one more word at this point......other than to point out that Anthony Shaffer, who wrote the masterfully tricky thriller play and film "Sleuth" once considered titling it "Who's Afraid Of Stephen Sondheim?"........(our way of telling you that the intricacies of the final reveals are a complex wonder to behold.....)
Normally we can't abide any movie that spends so much time celebrating its own cleverness, but Coburn and the gang, well armed with Perkins' and Sondheim's vast quantity of withering show-biz zingers, makes it all go down easy.
The most fun wild card here is Dyan Cannon, having the giggling time of her life playing a thinly veiled version of powerhouse, wheeler-dealer Hollywood agent Sue Mengers, who was actually offered the opportunity to play the part herself.
Our one and only quibble here.......early in the film, director Herbert Ross resorts to a blatant, cheesy technical trick.........and, sorry, but it helped to tip us off as to which of these characters would end up as the film's primary murderous villain.
Then again, maybe it'll slip right by most viewers......but even if it doesn't, "The Last Of Sheila"s still remains one hell of dazzling puzzle party. 3 & 1/2 stars (***1/2)
Deathtrap (1982) World renowned thriller novelist Ira Levin ("Rosemary's Baby", "The Boys From Brazil", "The Stepford Wives") wrote the kind of ultra-twisty and witty stage thriller that's every Broadway producer's dream.....the five character, one set whodunit that simultaneously chills audiences while making them burst into laughter.
That idea in itself becomes "Deathtrap"s best meta joke......since it's about a once brilliant murder mystery playwright (Michael Caine) whose string of flops has left him demoralized, destitute and more dependent than ever on his still wealthy wife (Dyan Cannon).
Cannon's character, a high strung, easily frightened woman with a weak heart, is aghast at Caine's new brainstorm to regain his fame and fortune........to murder a young fledgling playwright (Christopher Reeve) who's just sent Caine his first effort, a perfect murder mystery that would run for years and garner a huge movie sale.
Or as Caine jealously puts it, "It's so good, even a gifted director couldn't hurt it."
And this is the point, dear BQ visitors ,where in the interest of your full enjoyment of this movie, we'll stop describing the cascade of twists and surprises that flow one after the other.......except to mention the funny supporting role by Irene Worth as Caine's nosy neighbor, a celebrated psychic who supernaturally senses foul doings every time she stops in.
As befitting a film directed by Sidney Lumet, it's an actor's feast and for thriller fans, "Deathtrap"s a 4 star (****) treat.
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